What is the Tomatometer®?

The Tomatometer rating – based on the published opinions of hundreds of film and
television critics – is a trusted measurement of movie and TV programming quality
for millions of moviegoers. It represents the percentage of professional critic reviews
that are positive for a given film or television show.

From the Critics

From RT Users Like You!

Fresh

The Tomatometer is 60% or higher.

Rotten

The Tomatometer is 59% or lower.

Certified Fresh

Movies and TV shows are Certified Fresh with a steady Tomatometer of 75% or
higher after a set amount of reviews (80 for wide-release movies, 40 for
limited-release movies, 20 for TV shows), including 5 reviews from Top Critics.

Man of Steel Photos

Movie Info

A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this Earth. As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do. But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind. -- (C) Warner Bros

Rating:

PG-13 (for intense sequences of sci-fi violence, action and destruction, and for some language)

Critic Reviews for Man of Steel

Christliness has always been an element of the Superman myth. But this film's near literal insistence upon it becomes absurd since director Zack Snyder and screenwriter David S. Goyer don't dramatize the analogy, they presume it.

There's plenty to like in Snyder's hectic, rowdy film. But by the time we reach the bludgeoning excesses of the last half-hour it's hard to shake the sense that this was an opportunity at least partially missed.

Audience Reviews for Man of Steel

For someone who has never been a fan of Superman as a character, this movie is not really impressive, as it relegates to flashbacks every dramatic scene that would help build him as a relatable person - and it does so in order to jump fast into brainless, inconsequential action.

Carlos Magalhães

Super Reviewer

A most difficult proposition here: a story over 50 years old that you want to enjoy but may be inclined not to (you've probably got a favorite already) - they've got to win us over. How to do that, keeping it fresh, while touching on all the familiar-as-your-own-family elements demanded by the never-to-be-denied true believers? The stars deliver, drawing us into a story made fresh by focusing on the inherent immigration aspect of it : like most Americans, Supes comes from someplace else originally and has to decide whether he's American or not. Particularly good are Adams as Lane, Costner and Lane as Pa and Ma Kent, and Traue as one mean b-tch. Crowe and Cavill have the biggest jobs, stepping into the shoes - and yet out of the shadow - of huge cultural icons.

Kevin M. Williams

Super Reviewer

Compared to what 'Superman Returns' offered in 2006, 'Man of Steel' come back with a stronger power to drawn the audiences attention by having a well-named director and incredible cast with a more interesting story too.. Henry Cavill gave a strong performance as Clark Kent with another lovely performance from Amy Adams as Lois Lane, but the star of this movie is no other than Michael Shannon who successfully as before portraying a ruthless villain in the name of General Zod.. Overall, since I haven't watched the original Superman in 1980's, this version is way better than 'Superman Returns' but just good not that great nor amazing..

Sanjaya 丘耀文

Super Reviewer

It's hard to not pass judgment on a film without comparing it to its predecessors if the source material is well known. Unfairly or not, a critique of "Man of Steel" has to be helped or sullied by the muscle memory invoked by versions past. And with some past versions of "Superman" being quite good, it puts "Steel" in the precarious position of having some pretty big shoes to fill.
The film just struggles. You can feel the film struggling. Even with the things it does right, "Steel" labors to be interesting and in many ways creates a mess for itself.
Let's start with what it has rewritten. It has given Lois Lane (the miscast Amy Adams) and Jor-El (Russell Crowe) "more" to do and with that it effectively gives Superman/Clark (a stiff but physically perfect Henry Cavill) a lot less to do making him not as compelling in the story as he should be. And despite Lois' increased role, she's pretty inconsequential.
And those are just the few character shortcomings in the film. There are many others you can quibble with but the films biggest problem? It's boring. As nonsensical as it seems that a film with such extraordinary subject matter is so boring, it inexplicably is. Even the scenes with awesome effects like the great fight sequence between Superman and his two Kryptonian opponents is hampered by the corniest exposition dialogue. But the action sequences save the film from being a disaster.
Too bad Zach Snyder directed this film as his penchant for flashy visual effects without any substance hurts the film. He seems to not understand how to effectively use his camera to best showcase humanity. What he fails to understand with this and his other films is that it is not just an actors job to invoke substance, he needs to pace films to let humanity show appropriately. He needs to stage scenes to showcase these moments. He's too consumed by dazzling the eye and ear that he forgets about dazzling the brain.